meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
DCL Duo Podcast: A Disney Cruise Line Fan Podcast

Ep. 619 - Bonus Show - Living Aloha: Highlights from the Duo's 14-Day Stay at Aulani, Disney's Hawaiian Resort

DCL Duo Podcast: A Disney Cruise Line Fan Podcast

Brian Flock

Hobbies, Places & Travel, Society & Culture, Leisure

4.9575 Ratings

🗓️ 16 January 2026

⏱️ 57 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We’re sharing a special bonus episode recapping our 14-day holiday stay at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa — including Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and everything in between This episode is a true long-stay deep dive. We cover what changes when Aulani isn’t just a few nights, but two full weeks— from crowd dynamics and pool chair strategy to dining, spa time, and off-property adventures across Oʻahu. You’ll hear about: Holiday crowds and how Christmas compares to New Year’s at Aulani Pool days, cabanas, and whether reserved seating is worth it Two luaus compared: Paradise Cove vs. Aulani’s Ka Waʻa Off-property highlights like Pearl Harbor, the North Shore, Kualoa Ranch, and a Blue Hawaiian helicopter tour Dining favorites, shave ice debates, malasadas, and where we’d eat again A behind-the-scenes tour with Aulani’s Ambassador and the cultural storytelling woven into the resort If you’ve ever wondered whether Aulani works as a long, slow-travel vacation — especially over the holidays — this episode is for you. Listen now and join the conversation! Help Support the Show: Book your next Disney vacation with My Path Unwinding Travel Join the waitlist for DCL Magazine and use promo code DCLDUO for 10% off at the WDW Magazine store: https://dcl-magazine.com Stay Connected with the DCL Duo Website | Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group We’re Ranked as a Top Podcast by Feedspot Top 30 Disney Cruise Line Podcasts (#1) | Top 20 Cruise Podcasts (#2) | Top Disney Podcasts (#4) | Top 20 Disney Cruise Line Influencers (#12) Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are our own and do not reflect the views of the Walt Disney Company, Disney Cruise Line or any other travel provider discussed or mentioned. #Aulani #AulaniResort #DisneyAulani #DisneyHawaii #OahuVacation #HawaiiHoliday #DisneyVacation #SlowTravel #FamilyTravel #HolidayTravel #DisneyResort #KoOlina #DisneyPodcast #DCLDuo #TravelPodcast #AulaniReview #HawaiiWithKids #DisneyTravel

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Yeah, what I love just around us, what I love about Alani as a resort is that it is on a major,

0:08.0

you know, Honolulu is like the biggest city in Hawaii. I'm fair, I'm positive. And, but it is

0:13.3

close enough that you can go in and do all of these great things that we were able to do to visit

0:17.5

the North Shore. But you can go off and do all of these fun adventures off property. And then when you want to be on property, you're kind of away from the

0:24.1

hustle and bustle. And then it doesn't feel like you're at Disneyland or Disney World. Like it's,

0:28.7

it is a celebration more of Hawaiian culture than it is of Disney. Welcome back, everybody to a special Aloha edition of the DCL Duo podcast brought to you by my Path Unwinding Travel.

0:51.9

We are fresh back from Alani only about a week since we flew home.

0:56.0

In fact, a week to the day since we flew home, although did not get home until 3 o'clock in the

1:00.5

morning on Monday a week ago. But we're here. We're feeling Aloha today in this dreary, drizzly

1:07.4

Seattle evening. But we wanted to talk to you about our stay at Al-Lani, right, Tim?

1:11.9

Yeah, I love the Aloha edition of the podcast.

1:14.9

That's a perfect title for this episode.

1:18.1

I am so sad that we are home in Seattle and not still on Oahu, Brian.

1:23.9

How about you?

1:25.3

Yeah, just, you know, looking to podcast Aloha, as I like to say in Hawaii. All the signs of every kept telling you to drive Aloha. To drive Aloha. So we're going to podcast Aloha this evening. Let's start off, Sam. Why don't you give some folks some of the particulars about our trip? And then we'll dive into some of the, I think we should talk about some of the unique things that we did off property, some of the fun things we discovered on property.

1:48.2

And of course, you've got to talk about the fabulous opportunity we had to get a tour of Alani from the Alani ambassador.

1:54.3

And also we were hosted at the Alani Luau this time around.

1:57.3

Yeah.

1:57.7

Well, so we went to Alani for two weeks over our son's Christmas break.

2:03.6

So we spent, actually, it was 15 days, not just 14 days. So we left on a Saturday and we came back

2:10.1

on a Sunday. We were there for all of Christmas and New Year's. It was a fabulous time spent in a one-bedroom room, meaning we were in a DVC room.

2:21.5

We actually own a fixed-week contract, which means we get basically week 52 every year

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Brian Flock, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Brian Flock and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.